College Newsletter - Friday 26 November
No Formal Uniform for the remainder of the year
Last day of Term 4 - Tues 7 December, School closes at 12pm
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Dear Parents
Junior classes are very settled and it really is wonderful to have the boys back.
NCEA external and Scholarship examinations have started very well. In particular, our scholarship boys are taking every opportunity that presents itself despite any challenges over the last 3 months.
My special thanks to the teachers and support staff who have done tremendously well welcoming the juniors back and managing all of the necessary safety requirements.
Congratulations this week to:
Marist Man Awards
Jarrod Richardson (Year 7) and Zion Tanuvasa (Year 8) for demonstrating Support for Others and Family Spirit through a high commitment to their Service Programmes.
Rorokawa Kite (Year 10) for his well-mannered and courteous approach to staff. Rorokawa is always forthcoming with offering his help and services to others.
Academic Awards
Uesile Tala'imanu (Year 7) for his consistent work ethic, positive attitude, and engagement at school.
Andres Olan (Year 9) for being self-motivated and conscientious. Andres is an avid reader, having already read most of the recommended literature for a Year 11 student.
I roto i te manawa o Hato Mahirino
In the Heart of St Marcellin
Steve Dooley
Headmaster
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Special Character
Reflection
The true meaning of family spirit
I write this newsletter reflection as my time at Sacred Heart sadly draws to a close, having made the difficult decision to return to the UK to be with family. Although I may be leaving Sacred Heart, I have repeatedly been told that family must come first, and I will always be ‘part of the Sacred Heart family’.
So what have I learnt from my time here? The family spirit at this school is not just a value or a pillar, it is a living and breathing way of life. When newcomers arrive, they are embraced with open arms, just as Jesus did with people from all corners of society. When staff and students are in times of need, the whole community wraps their arms around them. And when their time here comes to an end, they know it is never really goodbye. Home is where the heart is, and there’s a lot of heart here at Sacred Heart.
So let us pray for continued family spirit, wherever we are and however we fit into this Sacred Heart family.
St Marcellin Champagnat, your paramount concern was for those in need.
You wanted to be the real presence of Jesus for all who were struggling and in difficulty, especially the young who found themselves at the edge of society.
Help me too, to be present to those facing challenges and who find themselves lost in the turmoil of daily life.
May I always have the courage and resolve to support those less fortunate than me.
May I follow your example today and all the days of my life.
We ask this through Christ and Mary our Good Mother.
St Marcellin Champagnat,
Pray for us.
Ms Gemma Solomons
Assistant HOD Religious Education
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Thursday Prayer, Reading and Reflection
As we are unable to celebrate together at our voluntary Thursday lunchtime Mass, instead, students are sharing with us a reading from the Gospel, followed by a reflection.
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In the reading from Tana Hakaraia and reflection from Fr Stephen, we hear of the opportunity lockdown has brought us to talk less and do more doing. From little ideas and thoughts, wonderful things can come.
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Service Programme
The Year 7-10 service programme has now officially finished. However, if students would still like to complete it, for which recognition will be recorded on their end-of-year report and be presented with an inaugural service badge, the completed service sheet can be submitted through the main office on Monday, 29 November, or emailed to office@sacredheart.school.nz.
2022 Retreats
With retreats beginning early next year, if you have any magazines around home, rather than allowing them to gather dust or be discarded, please donate them to the Religious Education Department. Eg Woman's Weekly, National Geographic, NZ Catholic, Marist Messenger - they can be dropped off at the school office marked ‘Magazines for Retreats – RE’. Thank you in advance.
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Calendar Events and Updates
Last Day for 2021
Students will finish at 12noon on Tuesday, 7 December. This allows for a Teachers Only Day for the afternoon of Tuesday, 7 December and the morning of Wednesday 8 December.
All KiwiCoach buses to Manurewa/Papakura, and the Pukekohe bus will leave at that time but other buses will be departing at 3.15pm. It may be advisable for parents of boys catching these buses to make alternative arrangements.
Term Dates for 2022
Term 1: Wednesday 2 February whole school commences - Thursday 14 April
Term 2: Monday 2 May - Friday 8 July
Term 3: Monday 25 July - Friday 30 September
Term 4: Monday 17 October - Wednesday 7 December
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Academic
Engineering Competition
William Waters, Brandon Toh, Ciaran Baker, and John Dominic Alo achieved a top 10 result for the annual New Zealand Engineering and Science competition. This competition was held on 7 August. The question this year was “How many 1 in 100-year extreme weather events can New Zealand expect to experience over the course of the next decade?”. Over 200 teams entered in this year’s competition so a top 10 finish is highly commendable! Well done boys.
International Toastmasters Speech and Evaluation Contest
Congratulations to Ohea Huni-Fifita on his achievement attained from the International Toastmasters Speech and Evaluation contest on Wednesday 24 November via Zoom. He delivered a speech titled 'Change'. Overall there were 15 speakers, Ohea won the competition placing 1st, and won the title of the International Toastmasters Youth Speech Winner. The panel of toastmaster judges streamed in from up and down the country, with guests streaming in from overseas. We are very proud of Ohea's achievement and how well he represented his family and the College.
NCEA Exams
NCEA Exams continue next week. A reminder students must:
- Bring the admission slip to each exam
- Go to Main Reception if they have forgotten their admission slip on the day of the exam. Allow time for this so that they do not miss their exam
- Not write on their admission slip
Morning exams start at 9:30am, please be at the Auditorium foyer at 9:10am.
Afternoon exams start at 2pm, please be there at 1:40pm. No student may enter the exam after the first 30 minutes, there are no exceptions.
Please note that if a student is not present at the beginning of an exam, we will NOT be contacting them or their caregivers. Please ensure that your son is attending his exams as per his timetable.
If your son should become unwell and is unable to sit an exam, please obtain a medical certificate and email to Mrs Mary Graham as soon as possible.
Exam instructions can be found here. Please take the time to read this carefully prior to the exams.
Google Account
A reminder to all students leaving Sacred Heart in 2021, your SHC Google Account will be deleted at the end of the year - after NCEA exams. This means you will no longer be able to access any content stored in your Google Drive or school email account. Please make sure you have a copy of anything you would like to keep.
You can transfer all of your school Google Account content to a personal Google account using Google Takeout. Follow this link for instructions: https://takeout.google.com/transfer If you have any problems or questions please email Angela Gamil.
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Pastoral Care
Uniform donations
Thank you to those families who have supported our Pastoral Care team with donations of uniform items throughout 2021. These have been very much appreciated by our families in need. If your son is finishing school and you would like to donate their uniform, please contact Mrs Kelly Jennings at the Uniform Shop.
Wellbeing
As the end of the school term is approaching, it is also timely to remind students and families about available counselling supports. This includes the 24 hour Ministry of Health Help Line Need to talk? 1737 is free to call or text from any landline or mobile phone, 24 hours a day 7 days a week and allows callers to gain support from a trained counsellor. Visit their website for more information
Youthline
You can also contact Youthline, text 234 or call 0800 376633. Or visit their website.
Healthline
Call Healthline free on 0800 611 116 for health advice and information. Or visit their website.
Other support contacts include:
Chinese Lifeline: 0800 888880
Domestic Violence Centre: (24-hour line) 3033939
Sexual Abuse Help: (24 hours) 6231700
Pasifika Health Services: (09) 828 4307
Parenting Place: (09) 524 0025 or 0800 535659
Kari Centre emergency line: 0800 800717 Whirinaki (09) 265 4000 after hours 0800 775 222
For immediate help CALL 111
As always if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Deputy Headmaster - Tracy Purcell, Assistant Headmaster - Ric Knight or Assistant Headmaster Year 7 and 8 - John Sullivan.
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Sport
As we know this year has been incredibly disjointed when it came to sport. However, despite the disruptions, we managed to get most of the winter programme finished this year. Thank you to all the boys, parents and wider SHC community for their contribution to Sacred Heart sport this year.
Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards - College Sport
This year we entered the following boys into the College Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards, they were;
Jackson Jarvie - All-Rounder
Joel Douglas - Cycling
Liam Buyck - Orienteering
Ryan Peck - Swimming
Lucas Hannah - Waterpolo
Huge congratulations to Jackson Jarvie and Lucas Hannah for winning their categories. To read all the published information, please visit the website.
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Health Centre
A reminder please, if your son is unwell or showing any COVID symptoms, he must not come to school. Possible COVID symptoms include:
- New or worsening cough
- Sneezing or runny nose
- Fever
- Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste
- Sore throat
If your son is sent home from school with COVID systems, and the Health Centre has asked for a COVID test to be completed, he must stay home until a negative COVID result is received. We also ask that you please keep your son at home until he has been well for a minimum of 24 hours. This means no active and regular coughing, or nose blowing and no sore throat.
For our temporary records, we ask that you please send the results to the following email address: healthcentre2@sacredheart.school.nz
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College Information
Important Message
During the current Alert Level restrictions, and in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines, non-essential visitors are NOT permitted onsite. This includes parents. If you need to contact the office, please call 09 529 3660 or email: office@sacredheart.school.nz.
PhotoLife - Group and Team Photos
In lieu of the Winter teams' photoshoot that was unable to take place in August this year, PhotoLife have created some group and team photos using student profile photos taken at the beginning of the year. If your son was included in one of these composite photos, you would have received an email from PhotoLife earlier this week regarding ordering. Please follow the information contained within the email for purchasing.
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Uniform Shop
Please note, due to booked new student fittings, the Uniform Shop will not be open to the public this Saturday. Thank you for your understanding.
Uniform for 2022
Every student entering Year 11 next year is required to purchase a Blazer to wear with the Formal Uniform. They are also required to wear long trousers in place of navy shorts. Information has been provided to current Year 10 parents. Please note, as the first day of school in 2022 is a Formal Uniform day please have these ready before beginning of Term 1 2022. Please contact Mrs Jennings in the Uniform Shop for more information.
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SHC Branded Masks
Our SHC branded masks are back in stock and can be ordered from the Uniform Shop.
2 ply, washable, polyester outer, cotton inner with adjustable toggled straps. Just $10 each.
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SHC Rowing Christmas Ham fundraiser
SHC Rowing Club are running their annual Christmas Ham Fundraiser again this year. Quality Manuka Smoked Ham on the Bone, available in two sizes:
Half Ham 4kg - $64
Whole Ham 8kg - $115
Orders to be placed by Friday 3 December, for pick up Friday 10 December 2021. View the Flyer for more details
Email your order to sharonrobinson@xtra.co.nz.
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Sacred Heart College Hostel
Sacred Heart College Hostel - spaces available for 2022
We currently have spaces available for Sacred Heart students to apply for a place in the Hostel for 2022. Living in the Hostel is a fantastic opportunity for boys to form friendships that last a lifetime. It also provides a structured environment for study, and easy access to the College for sports trainings, music or cultural group practices. If you would like more information please contact our Enrolments team.
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Community
Auckland Diocesan programme during Lockdown
During this time of uncertainty many people appreciate being able to follow and pray along with the familiar ritual of the Mass. We know this is not 'going' to Mass but it is a way of connecting with our faith community and joining in praying for the needs of the world. Click here for the daily and weekend online activities, upcoming lockdown events and remote resources.
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NZ Catholic - Digital Issue
Please click here to view the digital version of NZ Catholic’s latest issue for you to enjoy.
Some headlines for the latest issue include:
- NZ bishops issue guidelines for parishes under traffic light framework
- Many reasons for Mass absences
- Events support beneficiaries
- Departing director looks back at her years at Caritas.
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COVID-19 Health and Wellbeing, and Food and Essential items
There are helplines available that offer support, information and help. All services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information visit Where to go for help and Accessing food and essential items.
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